Magnetic Behaviour
by KstewDreamer
Summary: Bella Swan is a typical teenage girl desperate to get into the perfect college and start her independent life. So what will she do when new carefree boy Edward Cullen joins her school and introduces her to life without certainty.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Bella!" I heard my best friend Alice Cullen call me from the parking lot as I headed towards the school building. It was a new school year at Forks High School, and I was ready. My books were already neatly arranged in my locker, I had taken the liberty to this yesterday before school had started, and I had purchased a brand new school bag which was guaranteed for twenty years and had extra strength to hold my books. I wasn't a nerd or one of those annoying over achievers, I was just determined. Determined to turn this year around. To make the grades I needed to get into the college of my dreams and not to get distracted.

I turned and looked at Alice and sighed. I loved Alice. She was my best friend in the world. But she was just so... chatty. I had loved that last year - even though last year I was still working hard, I was a bit more open to the fun side of school - but this year I had to focus. The University of Seattle was perfect. It had everything. It was close enough for me to visit my dad - Charlie - and my mom and also gave me enough room to have my own space and finally start my life. Really start it.

"I was calling you!" Alice said between exhausted breaths.

"Yes, that's why I turned around." I said stating the obvious. She shot me a dark look.

"Whatever let's just go find our new lockers." She said grabbing my arm. I hadn't told Alice that I already knew where both our lockers where and that we were actually on opposite sides of the school. "What's your number?" She asked taking the small sheet of paper from my hand before I could answer. "164? I'm 593 that's like on the other side of the building!" She gasped sounding horrified. For the past four years me and Alice have always had lockers next to eachother, just coincidentally, and I didn't know why it hadn't worked out that way this year. But in a way I was glad.

"Yeah, I guess." I said although I was barely paying attention. First class was in one hour and if I didn't hurry I wouldn't have enough time to put the rest of the books in my locker and make it to class in time. Rule number two: No late slips under any circumstances. "I'll meet you in class." I said and hurried off before she could try and find a way to switch one of our lockers. I didn't want to have to move all of my things now.

As I reached my locker I heard a loud buzzing. It sounded like earphones and when I looked up I found where it was coming from. A boy around the same age as me with wind swept, sandy brown hair and golden brown eyes looked up as I walked to my locker, which he was leaning against.

"Ahem." I coughed, glancing at him then at my locker, motioning for him to move.

"Password?" He asked then smiled a brilliant crooked smile. I couldn't help but stare, he was kind of cute. But then I remembered my plan and instantly got annoyed.

"That's my locker so move?" I said smiling a sarcastic smile. He laughed.

"Not even close. What have you never guessed a password before?" He said smiling. I looked at him. He was in baggy jeans with open converse and a grey shirt.

"Just move." I said annoyed now. He was going to make me late. He smiled then backed away with his hands out palms facing me.

"Ah Bella! I see you've met our newest student, Edward!" I turned around to find Mr. Berty smiling behind me.

"Sort of." I said and looked back at Edward. He was still smiling his crooked smile.

"Well this is just brilliant because I'm meant to be showing him around this morning but I have a meeting. You wouldn't mind taking over would you?" Yes. I wasn't going to miss the first class of the semester because of Mr. Too Cool To Care. No way.

"Actually I - "

"Perfect! Thank you so much Bella, you're really helping me out." And just like that he was gone. I breathed out angrily and tied my brown wavy hair back into a pony tail. Since when did I become the welcome committee?

"I think I pretty much know where everywhere is." Edward said smiling.

"Really?" I said although I knew he was lying.

"Yeah sure you can't be late for the first class of the year." He grimaced in mock horror. "That would be a catastrophe. I can show myself around. So is this the cafeteria?" He said pointing to the toilet and smiled. I couldn't help but laugh too, but then I caught myself.

"Let's just go." I said pushing past him and onto the next corridor. I heard him follow behind me.

"You been here long?" He asked falling into step beside me.

"A year." I said sharply. He was so nosy.

"Ah, so you know what it's like to be the new kid? You probably fit right in though right with your little braniacs?" He laughed. I turned to him.

"What makes you think I'm a braniac?" I asked him annoyed. How could he just make assumptions like that without even speaking more than ten sentences to me. Judgmental.

"Just your general aura." He said biting into an apple. "Freaking out because you can't get to your locker - your most likely afraid of being late. Not wanting to show me around - your terrified of missing the first class. The personal resume practically writes itself." He took another bite and I looked at him annoyed. That didn't have to mean I was a geek.

"I'm not like that." I said and then pointed to the science labs. "That's your class." He stopped and leaned against the side of the door.

"Really?" He said raising his eyebrows and breathing a slight laugh.

"Really." I said and walked down the hall refusing to look back. He was so annoying, and no matter how cute he looked he was a definite distraction. Not worth my attention. That was the last time I would be seeing him again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I arrived at Maths the class was already nearly over, and since it was the first day of school we had lunch straight after and then a school assembly. As I walked into the cafeteria I looked around for a spare table for me and Alice to sit at - she always came at least ten minutes later than me. I glanced around the cafeteria at all the tables but found nothing. I decided maybe it was better if I walked around and looked. Maybe if there was even a table with just a couple of people at it Alice and I could share.

I was so busy checking every table in sight that I didn't notice the bag in the middle of the floor that was about to trip me up. I fell flat on my face, my garden salad scattering all over the cafteria. Behind me I heard an all too familiar laugh. When I turned around Edward was standing infront of me with his hand outstretched to help me.

"I'm sorry," He said through small laughs. "I really need to watch where I put my bag." I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up. I pushed the salad off of my light blue shirt and jeans.

"No it's my fault I should have known to look out for bags in the middle of the walkway." I said sarcastically and began pulling stray shreads of lettuce out of my hair. He laughed again.

"Do you want me to get you another salad?" He asked smiling and bending down slightly to meet my gaze which was fixed on the salad covered floor.

"No, I'm fine." I said sharply and spun to walk away, but his hand caught my arm before I could get the chance.

"I really am sorry." He said sincerely this time, his golden eyes melting. I looked over at the table he was sitting at. He was sitting by himself. I almost felt sorry for him until I realised this was probably the way he prefered it.

"I said I'm fine." I said a bit softer this time, then I shook my arm out of his hand and walked out toward the grass. It looked comfy I suppose. Better than that cafeteria where he was. I couldn't put my finger on why he annoyed me so much. Or maybe I couldn't put my finger on just one reason.

I reached in my bag, looking for my phone to ring Alice and let her know where I was, when someone sat beside me. I looked up and saw Edward with a new salad and an apple on a lunch tray in his hands.

"Your lunch m'lady." He joked and then handed me the plate. I just stared at him. Why was he doing this? What happened to that too cool to care attitude. Was he just looking for a friend? If so he was going to have to go searching somewhere else cause I had enough of them in Alice and more friends meant more distractions.

"If you want us to be friends you're going to have to go somewhere else. I just don't have time for that this year." I said tearing the limp lettuce in my salad.

"Trust me I don't think we could be friends." He laughed and then grabbed my apple. "I have a rep. to keep."

"You have a rep?" I asked giggling slightly. "You've only been here a few hours." He motioned for me to come closer to him and he leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Apparently," He whispered. "I'm the new bad boy in Forks." Then he laughed loudly making me jump. "'Bad boy'! Not even close."

"Well if you're not one then why does everyone think it?" I asked. I had to admit the first time I met him that was close to the conclusion I had drawn, and I was still trying to figure him out.

"The same reason I thought you were a braniac." He turned to look at me raising one eyebrow and I tried to think back.

"Your aura." I laughed.

"Exactly." He said taking another bite of my apple. "I think I should go," He said standing up. Bad boys and braniacs don't mix." He said winking, then with a smile threw his apple into the bin behind him and walked back into the cafeteria. I laughed and then rooted through my bag trying to dig out my Science book. When I finally found it I opened it to page one hundred and six and began reading. But instead of trying to figure out equations I found myself trying to figure out Edward. My conclusion: Annoying care free boy with a hint of a bad boy and a sarcastic comedian. Definitely not worth my attention. So why did I keep giving it to him?

I wondered what conclusions he'd drawn of me. Or if he even cared enough to draw one. Most likely the second option. Too cool to care. I looked back at my Science book and returned to my reading. Happy with the silence outside on the grass. No more interruptions. Maybe I could make this a regular thing.

Ten minutes into my studying the bell for assembly chimed. I picked up my books and walked towards the hall, hoping Alice had saved me a seat since the cafeteria was already empty. When I reached the crowded hall I searched for Alice. I saw her waving at me frantically from the middle row in the hall. I walked quickly towards my seat and sat down beside her putting my bag on the ground.

"You know stalking is amost never attractive." I jumped. Seriously? I turned to see Edward sitting in the seat next to me. Perfect.

"I'm not stalking you." I whispered keeping my eyes on the stage where the principal was beginning his start of year speech. I could feel Alice looking at me and I could almost hear the questions forming in her head that I would no doubt be getting later.

"You're very good at it too. Pretending to fall over my bag like that. Brilliant." I looked at him sharply and he put up his hands palms facing me defensively. "Hey I'm not judging. You're not the first girl to fall madly in love with me" Let's add 'ego the size of a football field' to his personal resume.

"I can tell. With an ego like that you probably have girls falling at your feet." Shoot. Bad choice of words.

"Literally." I laughed in spite of myslef and so did he. I could feel Alice's eyes widening by the second and immediately turned back to watch the vice-principal give her speech on our schools rules. No chewing gum, no leaving school grounds, no motor bikes on school ground etc. Beside me Edward was slapping his hands against his legs playing a familiar drum beat. He was so distracting. Could he not stay still?

We were twenty into the assembly when Edward leaned over to me. "Do you want to go have some fun?" He said nodding towards the emergency exit beside his seat. I looked at him then at the Forks High school choir. They would be on for at least another thirty minutes. What important college stuff could I miss from that. I looked at the emergency exit. What if I got caught? Worst thing: I could get a detention, and everyone get's a detention sometimes. But on the first day. No.

"We'll be back before the choir finishes, I promise." I looked at him and then at his hand that he had held out for me to take. It would be fine, I told myself. I leaned over to Alice and told her I would be back soon. Then I took his hand as he led me quietly out of the assembly. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Where are we going?" I called after Edward as we rushed down the hallway.

"You'll see." He said and broke into a run. When we got outside I stopped.

"I have to go back. I can't get detention the first day of school." I started panicking. We were going to get caught.

"Just relax." He said looking at me and I could feel myself melting in his eyes. "I promise we won't get caught."

"Why did you ask me to come? We're not friends. Remember you have a rep." I said sarcastically.

"Which is why I asked you now. Everyone's at the assembly and things aren't as fun when you do them alone." He said walking again.

"Sometimes they are." I said looking down. He didn't answer and kept walking. That was the first time he had nothing to say. It wasn't a complicated statement.

"We're here." He said and I looked up. We were at the car park.

"Wow, the car park." Was I missing assembly for this?

"It's what's in the car park." He said going into the bike shed and pulling out about the biggest, black, motorbike I have ever seen.

"No way. I am not getting on that." I said pushing my hair behind my ear.

"Why?" He asked raising his eyebrows. Did he really think I couldn't come up with a reason?

"It's dangerous and against the rules and-"

"You can't handle it. I understand." He said interrupting me. My blood boiled.

"I can handle it!" I nearly shouted. Why did he have to be so judgmental? If I wanted to go on the motorbike I could. He was just being unreasonable. It was against the rules. If I was caught I would be killed.

"Prove it." He said getting on the bike, throwing a helmet to me. I caught and put it on letting out an angry huff.

"I thought you weren't the bad boy." I said getting on.

"I'm not." He said putting his on, smiling - as usual.

"Then what are you?" I asked.

"I'm not something you can label." He said then pulled the motorbike wind hit hard against my face and my hair blew in the wind. I held on tightly to Edward terrified of falling but I also liked the rush. I could feel all of my troubles and stresses blow away with the wind. How could something so dangerous make you feel so happy. It didn't feel dangerous or forbidden anymore.

A wave of sadness came over me when Edward pulled back into the school. That couldn't have been more than five minutes? I looked at my watch. 2:15. Woah. The choir boys would be finished in ten minutes. How had that gone by so fast?

"Well?" Edward asked as we got off the bike. He looked like he already knew my answer.

"That was amazing." I said smiling.

"It wasn't too dangerous for you?" He smiled. It was amazing how quickly my opinion of him could change. One minute I could find him completely annoying and the next he would be friendly and fun. Way too confusing.

"Not this time." I said smiling.

"Ah so you'll be coming again." He asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Depends." I said and turned to walk towards the school. I could feel him catching up to me.

"On?" He asked.

"On when we would be going. I'm not cutting anymore classes and you have a rep. to protect." I said smiling. "Also on how much you annoy me from here until such a time."

"You make it sound like I'm doing homework." He said laughing. "I should have expected that when I asked a braniac to hang out."

"I'm not a braniac I said as we got to the hall door.

"Then what are you?" He asked stopping at the door.

"I'm not something that you can label." I said and then walked back into assembly to hear the final song. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"What was that?" Alice asked, quickening her pace to catch up with me after assembly.

"What?" I asked, though I was pretty sure I knew what she meant.

"That! In there! Since when did you talk to him? What happened to your year of concentration!" She asked, so quickly her lips tried to catch up with the words coming out of her mouth.

"Nothing. I showed him around school and we didn't get to finish. I was just showing him around." I lied. It seemed easier to keep the motorbike a secret. I didn't want to have to go into the details and I wanted it to feel special. That was the most courageous thing I had ever done in my life and I felt that talking about it would only bring it down for me.

"Bella Swan, you are such a bad liar! Are you, like, going out with him now?" She asked. I was immediately furious.

"No! Definitely not." I said angrily. How could she ever think I would go out with him? Him? Never.

"He is kind of cute though." Typical Alice. I'm furious and she's completely oblivious.

"It's just the eyes." I murmured looking down. I had noticed them so much.

"You like him." She said smiling widely. My blood boiled.

"No Alice I don't! Ok?" I snapped back sharply. To anyone else this would have been a very clear signal to shut it. But not to Alice.

"Ok, ok." She nodded smiling. "So you're friends?" She asked looking at me.

"No. Not really. It's a complicated relationship." I said confused. We weren't friends. I didn't think. It was more a sarcastic relationship.

"So there is a relationship?" Alice's eyes sparkled with delight. I was finished with this. I turned into my English class and looked back briefly to Alice.

"Bye Alice."

Mr. Bynes tapped violently on the desk with his pen.

"Attention, class, attention." He called and the class fell into a hushed silence. I sat in the second row from the front in a desk by myself. Close enough that i could see and hear everything but, also, far back enough that I wouldn't be asked to carry out meaningless tasks. "So today we will be starting -" Mr. Bynes was interrupted by a hard knock on the door.

"Excuse me Mr. Bynes?" There was that all too familiar voice once again. He had planned this. He had to. He looked over at where I was sitting and raised his eyebrows in amusement. "I'm sorry I'm late Sir, but my tour guide wasn't very helpful with my tour of the school this morning." He said looking over at me and grinning slightly. Was this going to happen every class? I had a very strong feeling that it would.

"That's quite all right Mr. Cullen, just take a seat beside Ms. Swan please." Mr. Bynes pointed towards me. I was suddenly really regretting my decision to sit alone in this class. Edward nodded and walked over sitting beside me.

"Bella, Bella, Bella." He said shaking his head in disappointment. "You need to stop this obsession. I understand. I have a certain charm but - " I held my hand up interrupting him.

"I was here first, remember?" I whispered. "And you have no charm." I looked up to the board and started to take down the notes that was writing on the board.

For the next few minutes we sat in silence. Him tapping on the desk with the tip of his pen and me trying to concentrate on the letters on the board. Tap, tap, tap.

"Will you please stop?" I whispered angrily. There was no way I could deal with that for a year. Just a few minutes and I was already freaking out. He dropped the pen and raised his hands defensively. "Thank you." I sighed then turned back to the board. It was only a few minutes later, however, when he started drumming lightly on the desk with his hands. That was it.

"Can't you just stay still?" I tried to give him the filthiest look I could, which was hard since I usually just ended up looking confused. He smiled widely, looking like he was going to laugh, then put his hands on his lap.

An excruciating forty minutes later, filled with toe tapping, knee shaking and humming, the bell finally went for the end of the day. I packed my things quickly and started towards the door. But, of course, things were never that easy. I knew he would be behind me before he said a word. What was this? A need to annoy me? A test to see how far I could be pushed? Whatever it was he was working very hard to make sure he followed through.

"So do you need a ride home?" He smiled and raised his eyebrows.

"No thanks, one ride on that a day is enough for me." I said and tried desperately to walk ahead. No such luck.

"Wait-" He began but I cut him before he could finish.

"Why are you talking to me? We both know that I am definitely not your type and we clearly don't get along." For a moment he didn't answer and I wondered if I sounded a bit too angry. But then he spoke.

"Curiosity." He said simply.

"Curiosity?" I asked. I needed a bit more of an explanation than that.

"Yes. I can't quite pin you down yet. A few things are obvious, driven, smart, annoyingly sarcastic," I raised my eyebrows and he laughed. "But that's all I've got so far. I suppose I'm waiting for you to crack." He said jokingly.

"To crack?" What was that supposed to mean?

"Yes. For the whole perfect routine to fall apart."

"What makes you think it's a routine."

"Well you clearly have a lot of anger building up in there." He said laughing. I shot him a look then looked down, realizing it wasn't helping my case. "And when you finally let all of that go, who knows? We might actually have something in common."

"I doubt it."

"Like I said, I'm just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat." I pointed out and he laughed.

"Well it's lucky I have nine lives." He said, then walked away. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I arrived home to find my dad, or Charlie as I preferred to call him, leaning over the kitchen table scribbling numbers down on a piece of paper. I wondered if he was actually figuring something out or just putting different numbers together and hoping it would give him the result he needed. He sighed and crumpled up the piece of paper, whatever he had tried it hadn't worked.

"Hey Charlie." I called from the hall as I took off my jacket to put on the coat rack.

"Hey Bells." I heard him mumble as he ripped another piece of paper out of a notepad. I felt the same feeling of sadness I did every afternoon when I came home to find him like this. Since my mom left Charlie he was finding it hard to cope financially, working day shifts at the bank and night shifts delivering. I knew he needed help and I planned to give it to him. My extra studying wasn't just for me. Yes, it was my dream college and I probably would have ended up going there eventually, but it wasn't my main dream. I had other plans. I was going to travel, helping in schools for kids who really needed it and seeing the greatest sites in the world. But as long as Charlie needed my help I was keeping that plan on hold. The plan now was studying hard to get my degree and become a business woman, working my hardest to get to the top to help support Charlie. My plans for the future could be put on hold, but Charlie's couldn't. He needed me.

I hopped up the stairs to my room, shut the door and took out my first book. For the first ten minutes I just sat there staring at the meaningless words until the page started to blur. Focus. I looked up at my mirror to the quotes I had glued to the corner. We are capable of creating greater things than we realize - Norman Vincent Peale. This had become my daily routine since I had set my goal last year. One read of any of my quotes and I could somehow focus. The words that had once seemed meaningless and separate started to come together and suddenly I was working. By the end of the Summer I had memorized nearly every quote on my mirror.

So with one read of that quote I looked back at my book and read.

Mornings were always the hardest. No matter how many positive quotes I read or how many coffees I drank, I couldn't help it. I was not a morning person. I stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Catching my hair back in a neat pony tail and putting on my faded blue shirt and skinny jeans. I creeped slowly down the stair case careful not to wake Charlie knowing that he would, no doubt, have fallen asleep on the sofa in the living room. I quickly grabbed my keys from the kitchen counter and headed for my car. I could catch breakfast at school.

I enjoyed the silence of my car. Last year I had car-pooled with Alice and although I love her, I am just not a morning person. And Alice is a lot to take even when you are fully conscious. Plus it gave me time to run through the things I had studied last night in my head and catch up on vocab. Another bonus was, since my new found determination, I have gotten up extra early every morning - probably not helping me be any happier in the mornings - and always seemed to be the first person in school. The silence was perfect. Perfect for studying quietly or, when sometimes it just got too much, just to sit by my locker and do nothing. Sometimes nothing is all a person needs.

As I pulled up into the car park I looked around. Empty. Perfect. I walked into the school taking in the smell of burnt butter from the cafeteria. My stomach growled but I kept walking. Just a few notes to review and then I would come down to eat. When I turned the corner to my locker I jumped and then immediately angered. There was Edward sitting in my spot by my locker. Why did this have to happen this year? It seemed like the Universe was plotting against my plans, creating every possible thing that could go wrong and making them into one human being. Edward.

I walked toward him and he lifted his head, smiling. Shouldn't he be the type of person who comes late to school everyday. That would be the normal situation right? But of course, no such luck with me.

"Hey" He said smiling his crooked smile, which I had to admit was becoming a bit charming. But not charming enough for this time of the morning.

"What are you doing here?" I said sleepily.

"It's school, we all have to be here." He said looking at me confused. I just looked at him for a second angrily.

"No, I mean this early?" I said sliding down to sit beside him. Why, I had no idea. I just knew I had to study and I was in no mood to think of another spot.

"To catch up on my studying." I looked up for a second shocked, until I noticed the grin on his face and the book in my hand.

"Haha." I said, opening my book. "Seriously." I said, but by now I didn't really care about the answer, I just wanted to study.

"I don't sleep much." He said but I didn't look up. I was now completely immersed in the world of Science. Or, trying to be. "Why are you in?" He asked and I looked up. Clearly I wasn't going to get much study done.

"Morning detention." I said and his eyes widened slightly. "Starts in five minutes." I said and then couldn't help but laugh.

He laughed slightly and then added, "Yeah, I guess I deserved that."

My grumbling noise came from my stomach and I tried to hide it with my hands. Well if I wasn't going to study I should at least get something to eat. I stood up and, without saying goodbye, started walking.

The cafeteria was empty, just as I liked it. I bought a slice of toast and a banana and settled at one of the round tables, taking out my Science book. I suppose I could multitask. I sat there studying for twenty minutes when I heard someone open the cafeteria door. Even at this time, it was still to early for someone to be in school. Which only left one person.

I looked up slowly, knowing that I would regret it later. I could have just ignored him, but I had been rude earlier walking away without saying goodbye. It would be even worse to ignore him again now. At first he didn't even look at me, he just walked over to the lunch lady and bought an apple. When he turned around he nodded and walked over to me, a mischievous grin on his face that made my stomach flip. What was he planning?

As he walked over I noticed him swinging a set of keys around in his fingers. No. No way. Yes going on the motorbike had been fun once but again? No.

"No way" I said, out loud this time.

"Why not? It's perfect. We're both here, there's no classes going on," Now he was pulling out a chair to sit down. "And neither of us have anything better to do." I looked at him waving my book in the air, trying to make a point. "Like I said, neither of us have anything better to do."

"No."

"Why?" He asked looking at me.

"Because I just can't." I said looking back down at my book. "I just don't have the time."

"You need to give yourself a break. It's only the second day back and already you're studying things that we haven't even covered yet." I looked up slightly from my book.

"It's good to keep ahead."

"It's also good to take a break. Healthy even." He said pushing the book down. "Fine, we won't go on the bike. But you are not studying for the rest of the morning. I am holding an intervention." I could feel myself getting angrier. Who was he to tell me that I needed a break. I knew him for less than two days.

"I can't afford to take that long of a break." I said trying desperately to grab my book back.

"Fine then, fifteen minutes." He said, and he put his hand on mine. "Just fifteen minutes to relax. You'll over work yourself." He said almost soothingly. Who was this person? His personality always seemed to be changing.

"I thought you wanted to see me explode?" I said. I couldn't help but notice his hand was still on mine.

"Not like this," He said smiling. "The way you're going you'll be having a nervous breakdown within the next week." I smiled slightly but I wasn't completely happy. I didn't mind the break. I probably would have given myself this break soon enough, but I didn't like how it was being forced on me.

"Just fifteen minutes." I said attempting to sound stern.

"Fifteen minutes." 


End file.
